


Crash Into Me

by TheNameIsBritney



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, alex is not good at bowling, alex uses the fuck word exactly once, also he should learn not to listen to reggie's advice, and only in his thoughts, bowling alley antics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNameIsBritney/pseuds/TheNameIsBritney
Summary: Alex, Luke, Julie, and Reggie go bowling together. One problem: Alex is an awful bowler and accidentally throws his ball into the lane next to his.But that's not all: At that lane just happens to be Willie, the guy in Alex's math class who he's had a crush on for months.(aka the reason why Alex will never listen to Reggie's advice ever again)
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), background Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 17
Kudos: 361





	Crash Into Me

**Author's Note:**

> so i went bowling with my mum and her husband's extended family and it was a nightmare but it gave me this idea for this fic! also since willie doesn't have a surname, i just gave him booboo's!! 
> 
> hope y'all enjoy my first jatp fic! comments and kudos are much appreciated <3
> 
> also if y'all are so inclined u can check me out or reblog this fic on my tumblr @alexthedrummerboy!!! thanks for reading xx
> 
> \- Brit

Alex was good at many things.

He was a great drummer, for starters. And if Luke and Reggie were to be believed, he was also an awesome singer; he could even dance pretty well if given enough time to observe and practice. But one thing Alex definitely _wasn't_ good at... was bowling.

Which was why he felt more than a little disgruntled to be standing outside _The Neon Pins_ , flanked by Luke and Reggie who were holding onto his arms to make sure he didn't sprint away.

"I still don't get why we're here," he said as they walked into the building. "I thought you said you and Julie were gonna go bowling. _Alone."_

A light blush grew on Luke's face as they walked to the shoe rental counter together. "She invited all of us, bro."

"No, I'm pretty sure she just asked you," Alex muttered, smiling politely at the cashier behind the register. "I suck at bowling."

"You're not that bad," Reggie replied, resting his arm around Alex's shoulders before turning to the cashier and giving her all of their sizes (and a wink for good measure).

"Do you remember fifth grade?" Alex asked, taking a pair of 10 5/8s from the counter. "Jeremy Matthew's 10th birthday party at the _bowl-a-rama?"_

Luke winced. "When you got your fingers--"

"--stuck!" Alex finished for him. "Stuck in the ball! I had to go to the hospital!" He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers uncomfortably. "And my fingers have only gotten bigger since then."

"Dude, you'll be fine," Luke replied, though it was clear he was no longer listening. "There's Julie. When we meet up with her, can you promise me you won't mention your weird finger story?"

Alex and Reggie shared a look. Despite his reservations, he nodded. He knew how important this was to Luke. 

"Fine," he said. "I promise I won't embarrass you in front of your girlfriend."

Luke's cheeks turned bright red. "Wh... she... she's not my girlfriend!" he sputtered. He gave the both of them a frustrated look before turning around and walking to where Julie was waiting. She'd already put her shoes on and was sitting on one of the plastic chairs, looking down at her phone. Alex and Reggie chuckled before following close behind.

"Hey, Julie!" Luke said, practically bouncing on his toes. 

Julie looked up, a bright smile taking over her features when she saw him. "Luke!" she said, looking just past his shoulder to where Alex and Reggie were standing. "...You brought the guys!"

Luke faltered. "Was that... not okay?"

Julie softened, shaking her head. "No, no, of course it's okay!" She hesitated before a small, more genuine smile grew on her face. "The more the merrier." She pocketed her phone and clapped her hands together, her smile morphing into an excited grin. Alex knew that grin well. It was the same grin he'd seen on her face when Carlos challenged her to a milk-chugging competition. Pure, unbridled _competitiveness._ "Let's do this thing."

* * *

They'd only been playing for four rounds and Alex had somehow managed to bowl four gutter-balls in a row.

Not that anyone but Reggie had noticed; Luke and Julie were both too enamoured with each other to even realise they were there. Alex smiled to himself as he watched Julie try and teach Luke how to bowl a strike.

His eyes drifted to the lane next to theirs where he spotted a familiar head of auburn hair. He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, guys," he said. Luke, Reggie, and Julie all turned to face him. "Isn't that Carrie?"

They all looked over.

"Oh, yeah," Luke said, a mischievous smile growing on his face. "Look who's with her."

Alex twisted his body around and promptly wished he hadn't; because walking towards Carrie's lane was Flynn, Nick, and most importantly... Willie Stewart. The same Willie Stewart who sat in front of Alex in their math class.

He'd turned around to ask Alex for a pencil once six months ago and Alex had harboured a tragic crush on him ever since. 

Now, he was here. At the bowling alley. At the lane next to Alex's... where he would inevitably watch Alex humiliate himself.

The world was an incredibly cruel place. 

"Hey, guys!" Julie said, waving towards the group. Alex turned to Julie, a pained expression on his face as Flynn, Carrie, Nick, and Willie turned away from the computer to acknowledge Julie.

Alex saw a carefree smile grow on Willie's face, and for a moment he briefly wondered if _this_ was what having a heart attack felt like. What he did next made Alex go into full-on panic mode.

As their groups began to mingle, Willie broke apart from the crowd and began walking towards Alex. He could feel sweat gathering behind his knees.

"Hey, Hotdog!" Willie said, raising his fist for a bump. Alex returned it with a hesitant smile, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Uh..." he said softly, shuffling over to let Willie sit down beside him. "Hotdog?"

Willie chuckled. "Yeah, 'cause of that pencil you gave me," he said. "It had hotdogs all over it."

Alex raised his eyebrows, a blush rising on his cheeks. "The... the pencil! Right! That was... that was a gag gift from Reggie for my birthday last year," he said with an awkward chuckle. "You drop a hotdog on your shorts _one time..._ " he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "I-I didn't think you would remember that. Th-the pencil, I mean."

Willie scoffed, bumping their shoulders together. "'Course I remember."

Alex didn't respond. Couldn't, really. He was too entranced by the way Willie's soulful, soft brown eyes were staring directly into his. That was one of Alex's favourite things about Willie; his eyes. They were just as kind and expressive as the rest of him. Catching a glimpse of those dark irises was dangerous. He never wanted to look away.

Alex heard the distant sound of pins clattering in the distance, but he barely heard them over the sound of his own heart beating in his ears.

"Willie!"

Carrie's voice calling Willie over impatiently shook Alex out of his reverie. Willie smiled at him apologetically.

"Catch you later, Hotdog."

Alex watched as Willie walked to his own lane before looking away quickly, trying to hide his smile. 

"Alex?"

He looked up to find Luke looking at him expectantly. He didn't like the cheeky look on his face. "What?"

"It's your turn," he said, nodding toward the monitor where Alex's name was flashing. 

Alex sighed heavily, sneaking one last look towards Willie who'd long since looked away. He walked over to the rack and picked up a ball, bouncing it lightly in his hands. 

There was a number on the front, but he didn't really pay attention to it; it was pink and that was all he really cared about. He slotted his fingers into the holes with a light wince before walking right up to the lane.

"You got this, bro!" he heard Reggie yell. "Just close your eyes and throw as hard as you can!"

Alex huffed out a quiet laugh as he turned the ball over in his hands. He couldn't possibly get any worse at this, he figured, so, he closed his eyes and gripped the ball tightly, swinging it forwards and backwards for a moment before throwing it as hard as he could.

He didn't open his eyes right away. All he heard was the sound of the ball bouncing against varnished wood, the sound of rolling, then...

Pins. Actual pins crashing against one another and falling to the ground.

_He'd hit the pins._

Alex opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to readjust to the alley's gaudy neon colour scheme before looking at his pins... all ten of which were still standing.

So... who's pins had he heard fall? And where was his ball?

It took Alex a moment to register the laughter coming from behind him. He turned around and faced Luke, Reggie, and Julie. 

Luke and Reggie were laughing so hard their cheeks were turning red. Julie at least had the decency to try and stifle her giggles behind her hand. 

"What?!" Alex exclaimed, a horrible feeling swirling in his stomach. Had he thrown the ball backwards by accident? Or worse: had he hit someone?

"Dude," Reggie said breathlessly. "When I said 'close your eyes and throw as hard as you can', I didn't think you'd actually do it!" 

Luke sat up, tears forming in his eyes as he clutched his stomach. "Di-did you see it b-bounce?!" the question was so hilarious to him that it sent him into a new bout of laughter. 

Alex could feel heat rising up the back of his neck. "Okay, so what? I-I got another gutter-ball!"

"Oh, you didn't get a gutter-ball, bro," Luke said between giggles. "You got a strike!"

Alex furrowed his eyebrows. "A-A strike?" he asked. "Isn't that good?"

Julie snorted before nodding to the side. "Alex, the ball." She looked over at the lane next to theirs. "The ball landed in Willie's lane."

Oh, God.

Oh, _fuck._

Alex slowly turned to his right where he could now see Willie was standing, a ball in his hand and a very amused smirk on his face.

"Uh..." Alex stammered.

Willie chuckled and put his ball down. "Thanks for uh... bowling for me, Hotdog." He pointed at the monitor. "I'm winning, thanks to you."

Alex swallowed nervously, feeling embarrassment coating every inch of him like thick, wet paint. "I... I'm gonna..." he cleared his throat and pointed toward the general direction of the snack bar before taking off as fast as he could walk without sprinting.

_This day couldn't get any worse._

He walked up to the snack bar and ordered a soda breathlessly, pulling a loose $5 bill from his pocket and smacking it against the counter. He took the can once it was given to him and took a healthy swig, trying to focus on the feeling of tiny carbonated bubbles popping against his tongue. He slammed the can down and grunted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

He hated Luke for putting him in this situation... okay, he didn't _hate_ Luke, he was just very frustrated. And embarrassed, definitely embarrassed.

"Hey!"

_Are you kidding me?_

Alex turned around and saw Willie walking towards him, looking every bit as attractive and adorable as he had just now after he'd haphazardly thrown his ball into Willie's lane (something that sounded so ridiculous in Alex's head that he would've laughed if he didn't want to sink into a very deep hole). "Hey," he replied, loosening his grip on his soda can as Willie approached the table he was standing at. "Um... how's it goin'?"

Willie smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Alex tried not to watch too intently, eyes flickering between Willie's hand and the table. "I mean... pretty well," he said with a laugh. "What about you?"

Alex winced and looked up slowly. When he locked eyes with Willie, he didn't see any mirth or mischief; he didn't even see pity. He just saw that same look of _kindness_ that always seemed to rest on Willie's face. He relaxed his shoulders and allowed himself to smile more genuinely. "I've been better," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm sorry I threw my ball into your lane."

Willie shrugged, placing his elbows on the table and leaning toward Alex. He was close enough that Alex could get a light whiff of coconut shampoo. "Don't worry about it, man. It happens to the best of us." Alex gave him an incredulous look before he broke down into a giggle. "Okay, so... it doesn't. Maybe you should stick to drumming."

That comment gave Alex pause. He'd only ever had short conversations with Willie in the past; about their homework, tests, stationary... Alex had never mentioned his band during any of those. He raised his eyebrows minutely. "How did you know I played the drums?"

Willie looked away. The playful smile on his face was replaced by a softer one, more bashful. It was adorable. "I uh... I saw your band play last week at _Eats and Beats,_ " he said. "... I may have also seen you guys play a few months ago at Julie's party... and again at _The Hollywood Ghost Club_." 

Alex's mouth dropped into a small, surprised 'o'. Willie had seen him play? Had seen him _sing?!_ And he hadn't mentioned it until now? "Oh! I-I didn't know you... you were there?"

Willie nodded, his smile growing wider. "Yeah."

"You could've told me," Alex said lightly, swiping one finger down the side of the soda can nervously. "I would've loved to see you there."

"I..." Willie shrugged and looked at Alex softly. "We've never really seen each other outside of math class. I didn't wanna make things weird, I guess." 

"It wouldn't have." 

They looked at each other for a moment. As their eyes locked in the middle of the crowded bowling alley, suddenly all other voices fell away. Nobody mattered except the two of them. Alex couldn't help the grin that grew on his face as he saw Willie's hand move just the slightest bit closer to his own in his periphery. He took the plunge and slid his hand forward too until the tips of their fingers were touching. 

"So, um..." Alex said quietly, purposefully _not_ looking at their hands. "Do you like bowling?"

Willie threw his head back and laughed joyfully. The sound was like music to Alex's ears. He never wanted to listen to anything else ever again. "To be honest?" he said, "I'd rather be at the skate park or hanging with my sisters." He paused before moving his hand until it was fully under Alex's, his long fingers curling gently around Alex's palm. "Or hanging out with... someone else."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Willie smirked, looking down at their hands. He moved his thumb back and forth against Alex's knuckle. The light touch filled Alex's chest with warmth and an energy he hadn't felt before.

"Do you maybe wanna get out of here?" Alex asked suddenly, looking up into Willie's eyes. "Maybe eat somewhere that doesn't smell like bleach and old shoes?"

Willie grinned. "Totally."


End file.
